Principles of Macroeconomics [ECON 2301] Principles of Macroeconomics [ECON 2301] Instructor:
Department:
Accounting and Finance
Campus Office:
Campus Phone: 361-‐593-‐XXXX Preferred E-‐ mail:
We will be using the email tool in BizLearn. In case of an emergency, please email
[email protected]
Credit Hours:
3
Virtual/ Online M Office Hours: T W R F COURSE WELCOME This is a web-‐enhanced course, thus requiring students to be actively seeking the course material through Bizlearn and following all the news/updates/deadlines in addition to regular attendance in class. Students are expected to check the course website d2l.tamuk.edu at least a couple of times during a week to meet all the submission and participation deadlines. In addition to the course material posted on the course website, students are encouraged to remain current with the national and international news relating to economy and finance. Students are also expected to browse the websites relating to economy, such as, www.bls.gov ; www.bea.gov ; www.nber.org etc. General Education Component Area This course fulfills the Social and Behavioral Sciences component of the General Education Core Curriculum: Courses in this category focus on the application of empirical and scientific methods that contribute to the understanding of what makes us human. Courses involve the exploration of behavior and interactions among individuals, groups, institutions, and events, examining their impact on the individual, society, and culture. Course Focus ECON 2301 introduces students to principles of macro-‐economic analysis through conceptual framework of demand and supply. Course Content 7/25/2012
Principles of Macroeconomics [ECON 2301] Students utilize the tools of supply and demand to analyze individual as well as collective decision making in the markets. Students will learn economic concepts such as scarcity, marginal analysis, trade-‐offs and opportunity cost etc.; Gross Domestic Product -‐ Aggregate Demand and Supply; Unemployment; Inflation. The conceptual knowledge is implemented through understanding of economic fluctuations and the policy implications that includes monetary policy of the Federal Reserve (open market operations, Federal funds rates, and reserve requirements) and fiscal policy of the U.S. Government (Federal budgets and public policy). Core Objectives and Delivery Critical Thinking Skills Inquiry and Analysis: Understanding of how national economy works and is aligned to individual decision makers. Study of key economic variables and concepts. Students will interpret current economic news and events in relation to the text book concepts. Communication Skills Written Communication: Written explanation of economic concepts through practical examples. Students will apply the economic conceptual knowledge to different hypothetical situations and events. Oral and Communication: Classroom presentation on a specific macroeconomic topic and discussion. Students will select or be assigned a current economic event or process regarding which a class presentation will be delivered. Students will interpret current economic news and events in relation to the text book concepts. Visual Communication: Depicting the national economic fluctuations through graphical illustrations. Students will apply the economic conceptual knowledge to different hypothetical situations and events. Empirical and Quantitative Skills Observable facts resulting in informed conclusions: Discussion of national current events and its relation with the economic theory. Students will interpret current economic news and events in relation to the text book concepts. Teamwork Work effectively with others to support a shared purpose or goal: Team presentations on a specific macroeconomic topic. Students will select or be assigned a current economic event or process regarding which a class presentation will be delivered. Students will interpret current economic news and events in relation to the text book concepts. Social Responsibility Knowledge of civic responsibility: Being an efficient citizen that may contribute to the economic developments of the communities. Students will interpret current economic news and events in relation to the text book concepts. FURTHER COURSE DELIVERY INSTRUCTIONS This course will be taught web-‐enhanced for XXX 201X. You will access a course website in BizLearn located at https://d2l.tamuk.edu/. The course website will provide course materials such as assignments, practices 7/25/2012
Principles of Macroeconomics [ECON 2301] quizzes, etc. Students should log in and access the course website at least every other day to check for course news and announcements posted online. You must notify the instructor immediately if technology issues arise and an assignment deadline cannot be met. Remember, missing a deadline due to personal reason is not a valid excuse and any communication regarding that must be supported by university accepted documentation. Likewise, if there are questions about course assignments, deadlines, or anything pertaining to this course, students must contact the instructor first by email. Accessing BizLearn A username and password is required to access your courses in BizLearn. By default, a student will access BizLearn using their TAMUK User ID (e.g., ku******) as a username and their TAMUK Banner ID (e.g., K00******) as a password. If you do not know your TAMUK User ID or your TAMUK Banner ID, please contact iTech Support at 361-‐593-‐ HELP(4357). BizLearn Student Orientation The College of Business Administration offers a BizLearn Student Orientation (BSO) for all students who are enrolled in a Business prefix course. The purpose of this non-‐credit course is to ensure that students are well prepared both technically and practically to use the BizLearn System. Upon accessing BizLearn, you will be required to self-‐register for the BizLearn Student Orientation (BSO). TEXTBOOK(S) Required Principles of Economics 6th Edition: N. Gregory Mankiw ISBN-‐10: 0538453052, ISBN-‐13: 978-‐0538453059 Supplemental Materials Economics and Finance related news and current events. COURSE ITEMS NEEDED ● ● ● ● ●
Google+ Account -‐ Sign up at https://accounts.google.com/SignUp Laptop computer (More information under Technical Requirements) Required text-‐book as prescribed in the section above. Ability to create presentation in the Microsoft Powerpoint. Basic understanding of Microsoft Excel.
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES Upon successful completion of this course, students should be able to 1. Demonstrate understanding of basic concepts of micro-‐economics such as scarcity, marginal analysis, trade-‐ 7/25/2012
Principles of Macroeconomics [ECON 2301] off, and opportunity cost etc. 2. Utilize the tools of supply and demand to analyze individual as well as collective decision making in the markets. 3. Understand the economy as a whole in terms of conceptual understanding of national output and growth, unemployment and inflation. 4. Implement the model of aggregate demand and aggregate supply to demonstrate both short run and long run economic fluctuations. 5. Understand the fiscal policy (Federal budgets and public policy); and national banking system under the Federal Reserve, monetary policy (money creation and contraction). WEB-‐BASED COMMUNICATIONS BETWEEN STUDENTS AND INSTRUCTOR • • •
Students should access the course website on BizLearn to check news and email daily for class release updates and announcements. Use the Ask the Professor or Student Lounge Discussion forums to post questions related to course content and assignments. Student responses to questions in the discussion forums are encouraged as it would be considered as active class participation.
STUDENT E-‐MAIL CRITERIA In business, as with course related correspondence, e-‐mail is regarded as a professional means of communication. Proper sentence structure, capitalization, and punctuation are required. Proper information must be included within each e-‐mail: ● Include [ECON 2301] in each subject line ● Identify your full name at the bottom of each email E-‐mail messages should be sent using the email tool in BizLearn to avoid being seen as SPAM or junk. For all online communication, proper “netiquette” is expected: correct spelling, correct grammar, proper formatting (avoid all caps and overuse of formatting tools). E-‐mails will usually be answered within 24 hours on weekdays and on the next working day if sent during weekends or official holidays, although, in most cases, I will answer you even before. If I am out of town without internet access, I will post a note on BizLearn. INSTRUCTOR RESPONSE TIME Email Generally, email will be checked frequently Mon-‐Fri and students can expect a reply within 24 hours. I will be 7/25/2012
Principles of Macroeconomics [ECON 2301] available online during the weekends, although not necessarily all day. If I will not be available for some reason during the weekend, I will let you know. You are expected to check BizLearn for notices, reminders, and messages regularly (preferably daily). By simply logging in to BizLearn, you will see reminders and messages to help you succeed in this course. Grades • Grades for a submitted assignment would be available in the Grades section approximately one week after the submission of the particular assignment. • Grades for an attempted online quiz would be available in the Grades section immediately after the submission. • Grades for an in class quiz would be given in class approximately one week from the quiz date. • Grades for an attempted online exam would be available in the Grades section. The grades for the multiple choice questions section of the online exam would be available immediately after the submission and for the short answer type questions section would be available approximately one week after the submission. • Grades for an in class exam would be given in class approximately one week from the exam date. GRADES POLICY Letter grades are based on the grading scale below and determined by the course grading criteria. Course Grading Criteria Assignments 20% Quizzes 20% Presentation 15% Midterm 30% Final exam 10% Class Discussion 10% Total Points Available 105
Grading Scale A 90 and above B 80 to 89 C 70 to 79 D 60 to 69 F below 60
A student’s final course grade will be available in BizLearn up to one week after the course end date. The official posting of grades, in the Office of the Registrar, will remain in accordance with the date listed on the University Academic Calendar available at http://www.tamuk.edu/events/academic_calendar.pdf. ASSIGNMENTS In this course, all written assignments must be professional in quality: proofread, free of grammatical and spelling errors, concise and logical. All assignments will be given and accepted through Bizlearn Dropbox. • There would be five assignments spread across the semester (see course calendar for exact due dates). • All assignments would be available on the availability dates (From start of the week until Sunday during the same week) in the Dropbox section, where instructions for submission for each assignment would be provided. 7/25/2012
Principles of Macroeconomics [ECON 2301] The questions for assignments would be analytic, reflective and problem solving. The submission file format for assignments would be Microsoft Word or Adobe PDF unless specified otherwise. Assignments submitted in any other format may not be accessible and hence would warrant a grade of zero. • Grades for all the assignments would be distributed equally. Policy on Late Work There would be no acceptance policy for assignments not submitted during the submission period before the due date (see course calendar). Policy on Extra Credit The least grades for one of the five assignments would be dropped at the end of the semester. • •
CLASS DISCUSSIONS A major portion of your overall grades is your meaningful participation in class discussions. One proven way to be able to contribute to class discussions is to learn about the current economic news and events happening everywhere in the world. In this course, two general course discussion boards will be provided. Students will have the opportunity to use the “Student Lounge” discussion board to hang out and connect online with students who are also taking the course. You will also have the opportunity to use the “Ask the Professor” discussion board to post general questions or inquiries about the course content. QUIZZES / EXAMS Quizzes • There would be five quizzes spread across semester (see course calendar for exact dates). • All quizzes would consist of multiple choice questions from the chapters immediately preceding the quiz and following the previous quiz. • A hand held-‐calculator and a pen or pencil would be required to answer an in class quiz. • Access to a computer and reliable internet connection would be required to take an online quiz. • Online quizzes would be time constraint, in other words, a quiz once accessed would have to be submitted in the pre-‐determined time. • An online quiz would be open from the start of day at midnight to the end of day, three days from the start time (for 72 hours). The availability period for all the quizzes can be found in the course calendar. • Grades for all the quizzes would be distributed equally. Policy on Late Work There would be no acceptance policy for quizzes not attempted during the assigned period before the due date (see course calendar). Policy on Extra Credit 7/25/2012
Principles of Macroeconomics [ECON 2301] The least grades for one of the five quizzes would be dropped at the end of the semester. Exams • There will be two exams (midterm) and a comprehensive final (Total of three exams). • Exams would consist of both multiple choice as well as short answer type questions covering the material discussed in class and the scenarios corresponding to macro-‐economic concepts. • Chapters to be assessed in each exam have already been mentioned in the schedule. • A scantron answering form, one sheet (8 1/2 x 11), a hand held-‐calculator, and a pen or pencil would be required to answer the in-‐class exam. • Access to a computer with reliable internet connection would be required to take the online exam. • Online exams would be time constraint, in other words, an exam once accessed would have to be submitted in the pre-‐determined time. • Exam weeks are mentioned in the course calendar. • Grades for all both midterm exams would be distributed equally. • Student(s) missing an exam(s) without prior notification would not be allowed to take make-‐up exam(s) except for the reasons allowed by the university rules. • Student(s) missing an exam(s) with prior notification would be allowed to take make-‐up exam(s) within two class days of the exam(s) missed. • An automatic grade of zero would appear for any missed exam. *There would be exceptions on holidays, please see course calendar for exact dates and days). TEAM MEETINGS / GROUP PROJECTS Team Meetings and Group Projects • Depending upon the number of students enrolled in class, teams of no more than 4 would be formed to work on a topic of their choice (contingent to availability) and present it to the class in MS Powerpoint. • Teams would be formed at the beginning of the semester and students would decide the topics for presentation upon instructor’s permission. Schedules for presentations would be provided during the semester. • Team members would create an account on Google Plus Social and Professional interface in order to have a common platform for face to face discussions (through Google Plus hang out feature) and preparation for the presentations. • Team meetings on Google Plus would be monitored by the instructor by randomly selecting team hangouts in which the instructor would take part. • Team members would be encouraged to discuss not only the assigned topics but also other class material. • The D2L platform through the discussion board, email and page would also provide students with an opportunity to express their thoughts to the rest of the class. • The grading criterion for presentations is as follows: 7/25/2012
Principles of Macroeconomics [ECON 2301] ü ü ü ü ü
Participation in preparation prior to presentation Coherence and ability to present the topic to others Relevance of Content and subject matter Design and visual aids Response to questions and comments
15%
15% 40%
15%
15%
PROFESSIONAL CONDUCT AND COURSE PARTICIPATION The university respects the rights of instructors to teach and of students to learn. Maintenance of these rights requires campus conditions that do not impede their exercise. Campus behavior that interferes with these rights will not be tolerated. Professional Conduct: • The university respects the rights of instructors to teach and of students to learn. • Maintenance of these rights requires campus conditions that do not impede their exercise. • Classroom behavior that interferes with these rights will not be tolerated. • Using profane language, insulting or intimidating other participants in class or through any posts in the Discussion Board, E-‐mail, or page would be considered as an extreme act of Academic misconduct and will result in sanctions to the most stringent extent according to the University policy. • For all other classroom policies, it is the duty of the student to get familiarized with the Texas A&M University-‐Kingsville Student Handbook available at http://osa.tamuk.edu/studentorganizations/studentorganizations_files/studenthandbook.pdf Course Participation: • Student(s) with no participation in class for two consecutive weeks would be dropped from the course at the instructor’s discretion. • Participation in class can be determined by one or more of the following: ∠ Attendance ∠ Discussion ∠ Submission of assigned work ∠ Reading of course material online (Instructor has the ability to track student activity) Course Survey Assessments The College of Business Administration is dedicated to offering excellent online and face-‐to-‐face courses. In this course, a mid-‐term course survey assessment and a final course survey assessment will be conducted. Your responses to each of the survey assessments are used by faculty to improve teaching, and they are a significant component in the promotion and tenure process. The course instructor reserves the option to NOT release your final course grade until the final survey assessment has been received by the College of Business Administration 7/25/2012
Principles of Macroeconomics [ECON 2301] It is the duty of the student to become familiar with University Policies and the Texas A&M University-‐ Kingsville Student Handbook available at http://www.tamuk.edu/dean/dean_files/studenthandbook.pdf. It is the duty of the student to become familiar with the College of Business Administration Student Code of Conduct available at http://www.tamuk.edu/cba/About_the_College/Integrity3.pdf Please be aware that the university subscribes to the Turnitin plagiarism detection service. Your assignments may be submitted to this service at the discretion of the instructor. COURSE SCHEDULE The dates and assignments listed in the Course Schedule are tentative. In case of any changes, announcements will be made on BizLearn. It is the student’s responsibility to keep track of any changes made during the semester. Class Date Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Week 5 Week 6 Week 7 Week 8 Week 9 Week 10 Week 11 Week 12 7/25/2012
Topic Introduction to Economics-‐ Understanding Key terms and concepts Introduction to Economics-‐ Trade Demand and Supply-‐ Understanding Markets Introduction to Macroeconomics-‐ Key Terms; GDP Review
Introduction to Macroeconomics-‐ Inflation and Growth Macroeconomic Variables-‐ Savings and Investment Macroeconomic Variables-‐ Unemployment Macroeconomic Variables-‐ Money and Banking Review Economy as a Whole-‐ Open Market Economics Economy as a Whole-‐ Aggregate
Chapter(s), Discussion(s), Assignment(s), Exam(s) Introduction to Course material; Reading Chapter #1, 2; Reading Chapter #3; Quiz #1 over Chapter #1, 2 Reading Chapter #4; Assignment #1 due Reading Chapter #23; Quiz #2 over Chapters # 3, 4 Reading Chapter #1, 2, 3, 4, 23; Assignment #2 due; Exam #1 over Chapters 1, 2, 3, 4, 23 Reading Chapter #24, 25 Reading Chapter #26; Assignment #3 due Reading Chapter #28; Quiz #3 over Chapter #24, 25, 26 Reading Chapter # 29, 30; Assignment #4 due Reading Chapter #24, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30; Exam #2 over Chapters #24, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30 Reading Chapter #31, 32; Reading Chapter #33;
Principles of Macroeconomics [ECON 2301] Week 13 Week 14 Final Week
Demand and Aggregate Supply Economy as a Whole-‐ Aggregate Demand, Aggregate Supply, Fiscal Policy and Monetary Policy Policy: Active or Passive-‐ Trade-‐offs Faced by Economic Decision Makers All Topics
Quiz #4 over Chapter #31, 32 Reading Chapter #33, 34; Assignment #5 due; Presentations Reading Chapter #35, 36; Quiz #5 over Chapter #33, 34; Presentations Presentations
FINAL EXAM There would be a comprehensive final exam on XXX, XXX XX, 201X at XX:XXxx-‐XX:XXxx over all the chapters that would be covered during the semester. Final exam would consist of multiple choice as well as short answer type questions. Note: If a student is ill or needs to attend to an emergency on the day of the final, written documentation must be provided to the instructor. TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS As a College of Business Administration student, you will have a much different "classroom" experience than a traditional student. In order to ensure that you are fully prepared for your course(s), following is a list of expectations and requirements. Students should be comfortable with and possess the following skill sets: ● Self-‐discipline ● Problem solving skills ● Critical thinking skills ● Communicate in the written word Technology Skills As part of your BizLearn experience, you can expect to utilize a variety of technology mediums as part of your curriculum: ● Navigating BizLearn (https://d2l.tamuk.edu/), including using the email component within BizLearn. Instructions and/or tutorials will be provided. ● Communicating via email including sending and receiving attachments ● Navigating the World Wide Web using a web browser ● Use of office applications to create documents and/or presentations ● Ability to communicate using a discussion board ● Ability to upload and submit assignments to the course website Computer Requirement All students enrolling in select College of Business Administration courses must have access to a computer 7/25/2012
Principles of Macroeconomics [ECON 2301] with the following minimum capabilities: Processor: Dual Core 2.5GHz Operating System; Windows 7* Software: Microsoft Office 2010 Professional ($79.95)**,Up-‐to-‐date virus protection; Memory: 3 GB RAM hard drive with 160 GB multimedia drive; CD/DVD Burner Communication Capability; Webcam with microphone Network Interface; 100/1000 Ethernet Wireless Capability; 802.11n compatible with extended life battery*** ● *If you already have a computer with Windows Vista, this also will meet the requirement. ● **Enrolled students can purchase software with discounted rates at http://www.microsoft.com/student/ ● Students must have access to a computer with an Internet connection and an e-‐mail account. A broadband Internet connection is preferred. Internet Browsers In order for BizLearn to function properly on your computer, you must be using a compatible operating system and browser. BizLearn FAQs maintains a matrix of browsers that have been validated for use with BizLearn. Computer Software Java is a program that allows many of the tools in BizLearn to function. You may already have one or more versions of Java on your computer. BizLearn requires the latest version of Sun JRE 6. The JRE (Java Runtime Environment) can be downloaded from http://www.java.com/en/download/index.jsp. Some courses may require additional software plug-‐ins. Below are some of the commonly used programs: ● Adobe Acrobat Reader (version 7 or higher recommended), ● RealPlayer (version 10 or higher recommended), ● Adobe Flash Player (version 8 or higher recommended) LEARNER SUPPORT Technical Support iTech Support provides friendly, responsive service to the Texas A&M University-‐Kingsville community. Contact Information: Phone: 361-‐593-‐HELP (4357), Web: http://www.tamuk.edu/itech Course Support BizLearn FAQ is a knowledge base with hundreds of answers offering practical tips for using BizLearn; for students and faculty. Contact Information: Web: http://www.tamuk.edu/cba/Online/ Student Health and Wellness Student Health and Wellness serves the physical, emotional and distinct academic needs of Texas A&M University-‐Kingsville students. Contact Dianne Brown, Director of Student Health and Wellness. Contact Information: Phone: 361-‐593-‐3991, Web: http://www.tamuk.edu/shw/ Student Support Center The College of Business Administration Student Support Center is dedicated to providing quality advising assistance to our students. Contact Matthew Kelzenberg, Coordinator of Student Recruitment & GE Advising. Contact Information: Phone: 361-‐593-‐3902, Web: http://www.tamuk.edu/cba/Undergraduate_Students/Student_Support.html 7/25/2012
Principles of Macroeconomics [ECON 2301] Center for Student Success The Center for Student Success is here to help First Year Javelinas, First Generation College Students and Non-‐ traditional Students achieve success by providing them with the student success resources. Contact Dr. Nancy KingSanders, Associate VP for Student Success. Contact Information: Phone: (361)593-‐3290, Web: http://www.tamuk.edu/studentsuccess/ COLLEGE LEARNING GOALS Through the Student Learning Outcomes, the following College Learning Goals are attained:
College Learning Goals Student Learning Outcomes Addressed in Course Supporting College Learning Goals
1. Students demonstrate effective communication skills
Oral Communication
X
1,2,3,4,5
Written Communication
2. Students can recognize and analyze ethical issues Responsibility of Business in Society
Ethical Leadership
Ethical Decision Making
Corporate Governance
3. Students can recognize and analyze sustainability issues
Responsibility of Business in Society
Sustainability Leadership
Sustainability Decision Making
Corporate Governance
4. Students understand the strategic implications involved in a global business environment
Know Cultural Differences 7/25/2012
Principles of Macroeconomics [ECON 2301] Prioritize Cultural Impacts
Adapt Business Practices 5. Students can identify the characteristics of effective teams
7/25/2012
Team Development
X
3,4,5
Team Process and Decision Making
X
3,4,5
Meetings
X
3,4,5
Efficiencies
X
1,2,3,4,5
Effectiveness
X
1,2,3,4,5
Proficiency
X
1,2,3,4,5
6. Students can utilize technology to assist them in solving problems